QC Staff Picks: Everyday Makeup Must-Haves

Here are QC, we’re a little bit (okay fine, A LOT bit) makeup-obsessed, just like you! We wanted to share some of our makeup must-haves from our daily routines. Check out what some of our favorite everyday makeup products are that we just simply cannot live without!

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner

I am addicted to black liquid eyeliners. Dramatic winged liner is my favorite part of my makeup routine. Because I love the look so much, I’m very picky about which liner I use and I’ve tried just about every brand there is. My current favorite (and maybe my favorite of all time) is Kat Von D Tattoo Liner, available at Sephora for $19 (USD). This is more expensive than drugstore brand liners, but it’s worth every penny. The color is a dark matte black, without the plastic shine other liners get when they dry. It lasts without smudging until I wipe it off, even when I’m at concerts or in the sun. The best part, and the feature that I’m picky about, is how the liner applies. The liquid is smooth without being messy, so I can draw a flawless line with no bumps. The applicator is an extremely pointy brush rather than a felt tip, which guides the liquid more consistently and lets me create the pointiest wings possible. Nothing is worse than dramatic eyeliner with blunt wing tips! I also prefer this pen-style liner to applicators placed in a bottle lid. I can hold the pen more steadily for the most accurate look, and even add fancy details as easily as drawing with a pen on paper.

-Courtney, Marketing Team

Rimmel London’s Eyebrow Pencil

Eyebrows can definitely define your look. A well-shaped eyebrow brings attention to the eyes and can dramatize your features. For me especially, my natural eye brows lack shape and are very light in colour. This is why I love colouring in my eyebrows to give them a more natural and full look.

My favourite eyebrow product is Rimmel London’s Eyebrow Pencil. It can be found in most department stores and pharmacies and it is relatively inexpensive. You can find it in a variety of different colours to best match your skin tone and hair colour. The rule of thumb is if you have dark hair, your eyebrows should be roughly 1-2 shades lighter for contrast. If you have light hair, your eyebrows should be 1-2 shades darker for the same contrast. You can read other reviews here!

I find the pencil is the best way to give my eyebrows the exact shape I want. I can easily fill them in either lightly or darkly, depending on my look, and have full control over their shape and thickness. The Rimmel London eyebrow pencil comes with a small brush at the end to help smooth out the colour so that it appears more natural. It is my favourite eyebrow pencil and definitely a must-have in my makeup kit!

-Jaley, Student Support Team

Quo Baked Blush

I recently started using Quo Baked Blush and I love it! It’s a light, mineral-based powder with a bit of shimmer to it.

While it’s not the most expensive brand out there, I like it because it’s super easy to apply, and the shimmer gives it a smooth finish. My favorite shade is called “Pinch”—it’s a subtle soft pink.

-Amelia, Marketing Team

Diorshow CurlHeating Eyelash Curler

For the longest time, my biggest problem with my makeup application is how to keep my straight lashes curled for longer than 10 minutes. I’ve tried a variety of regular clamp curlers, mascara, and tips (such as heating my curler with a hairdryer) but nothing would work. And then I came across the Diorshow heated curler, which makes my lashes curl very naturally and lasts all day!

A heated eyelash curler is not as scary as it sounds; the applicator is definitely not hot enough to burn your lids or surrounding eye area. It’s also really easy to use. You just brush the heated top from the bottom of your lashes up, like how you would apply mascara, but slower. You can use the curler before or after applying mascara. Just remember to regularly clean the applicator with the provided brush, as the dried mascara can reduce the effectiveness of the curler. The heated curler does require an AAA battery to operate, but the battery life lasts for around two months.

-Corina, Marketing Team

Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Stick Trio

About a month ago, I added the Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Stick Trio to my everyday makeup routine, and I haven’t looked back since! It’s quickly become a product that I just can’t live without.

Before then, contouring was not part of my daily life (I know, I know, I’m very ashamed of myself). But when I saw a promotional video online for these contour sticks, I knew I just had to try them. I took a couple days to convince myself to spend the $50+ on this trio kit, but when I finally decided to dish out the cash I was excited to go to Sephora to get my hands on them. I now use these babies every day!

These creamy sticks are so blendable and easy to use, especially for contour newbies like me. The trio kit comes with a contour stick, a bronzer stick, a highlight stick, a sharpener, and a handy little guide to show you how to contour based on your face shape.

So far, Smashbox has only released the trio in just one shade so I’m hoping to see more options for different skin tones in the near future. But overall, I give this product two thumbs up as it has lifted me out of the shadows of a non-contoured life and into the light of easy peasy contouring!

-Ana, Marketing Team

Le 2 de Guerlain

Mascara is the one makeup product that I cannot live without. I have relatively long lashes, but they lighten at the tips, which makes them look a lot shorter than they actually are. A good mascara can make it look like I’m wearing fake lashes.

My all-time favorite mascara is Le 2 de Guerlain. This mascara gives volume and length, and the brush does an amazing job of separating each lash so that the application doesn’t look clumpy. It also comes with a small brush on the other end of the tube for easy use on your lower lashes. Tip: You can use the small brush on your outer lashes to add some more oomph for a night look.

The downside to this mascara is that it is on the pricey side, and I can’t always justify buying it, so I have found a more affordable one that I love almost as much—L’Oreal’s Voluminous False Fiber Lashes. The fibers in this mascara give amazing length to natural lashes. The staying power isn’t quite as good as Guerlain’s, so you need to be a little more careful about giving yourself raccoon eyes, but for the price the end result is fantastic.

-Jaime, Student Support Team

MAC Lady Bug Lipstick

The one can’t-live-without item in my lipstick collection is MAC brand lipstick in ‘Lady Bug.’ It’s the perfect shade of coral-red that instantly brightens up my complexion.

MAC’s ‘Lady Bug’ falls under the ‘lustre’ category which gives it a semi-sheer, ultra-buildable finish. The sheer effect makes my dry lips look super smooth and hydrated. My favorite way to wear this lipstick is right out of the tube and patted on with my fingertip. I prefer to wear this color on the sheer side but you could easily build it up with a few extra layers if you wanted more dramatic color pay-off. The cool coral pairs perfectly with a neutral/naked eye and gives your lips a fresh and bright-without-being-too-bright appearance.

The formula is gentle, smells nice, and gives me a good 4-5 hours of wear, all for approximately $20.

-Kayla, Student Support Team

Do you have an everyday makeup must-have that you simply cannot go a day without? Let us know in a comment below!

8 responses to “QC Staff Picks: Everyday Makeup Must-Haves”

I love Kat Von D’s make up, happy the liner made it into the list! I need try all these however I especially need to get the Smashbox Step-by-Step Contour Stick Trio, I haven’t seen a contour product like that 🙂

Oh and the product that I use absolutely everyday is the Chanel eyeliner in the colour Clair, its beige toned. And it makes my eyes look bigger, fresh and awake by taking away the redness. Worth the splurge!

I really like the Physician’s formula Classic Nude and Natural Nude eye palettes. They’re small, but I actually like that about them because it makes them easier to stash in a clutch or travel case. They resemble Urban Decay Naked palettes, but at a fraction of the cost. Only down side is, they’re baked so hard it’s extremely difficult to apply with a dry brush.

If you’re looking for a serious WOW factor mascara, check out Younique Fiber Lash Mascara +. It is naturally based, so your lashes stay conditioned and healthy. It is build-able, so you can achieve falsie status every day or only a few days a week. But the best part is that with one application you are going to see a 400% increase in Lash volume & thickness. I can show you pictures of my lashes if you want. I seriously can’t leave the house without it!!

My must-haves are MAC “kinda sexy” Lipstick it is a nude colour and it actually looks good on my models also the Smashbox Photo finish primer water it does keeps your makeup in place for the whole day 🙂